Evernote is a traditional note-taking app with broad compatibility and offline access, while Roam Research is a graph-based knowledge management system designed for interconnected thinking and bidirectional linking. Evernote costs $14.99/month; Roam Research costs $15/month or $165/year.
Evernote vs Roam Research — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Evernote if you prioritize simplicity, offline access, and cross-device synchronization for general note-taking and personal knowledge capture. Choose Roam Research if you're building a networked knowledge system, conducting research, or need bidirectional linking for academic or professional knowledge management.
Cloud-based note-taking application with folder organization and cross-platform synchronization.
Networked note-taking tool designed for bidirectional linking, knowledge graphs, and non-linear thinking with emphasis on daily notes.
Evernote vs Roam Research — Comparison Data
Structured comparison data for Evernote vs Roam Research with 158 attributes.
Monthly Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)
Annual Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)
Maximum Document Size (Stable Performance)
Evernote vs Roam Research — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Evernote vs Roam Research.
Can I use Evernote or Roam Research offline?
Evernote offers full offline access on desktop and mobile—you can create, edit, and search notes without an internet connection, and changes sync automatically when reconnected. Roam Research is primarily cloud-dependent; while some offline functionality exists through browser caching, it's unreliable and not officially supported. For offline-first workflows, Evernote is the clear winner.
Which is better for academic research and knowledge synthesis?
Roam Research excels for academic research due to bidirectional linking, automatic backlinks, and the ability to create interconnected knowledge graphs—revealing relationships between sources and ideas. Evernote is better for organizing research materials hierarchically but lacks the networked thinking features Roam provides. If you're building a research database with linked citations, Roam is superior.
How long does it take to become productive in each tool?
Evernote: Most users are productive within 5-10 minutes. The interface is intuitive, and basic note-taking works immediately. Roam Research: Expect 2-4 weeks of learning before developing effective workflows. The tool's power comes from understanding bidirectional linking, daily notes, and queries—concepts that require intentional practice.
What happens to my data if I leave the service?
Evernote exports notes as ENEX (proprietary format), which is difficult to migrate to other platforms without data loss or formatting issues. Roam Research exports as JSON and Markdown—open, portable formats that work with any note-taking system. Roam Research offers significantly better data portability and reduces vendor lock-in risk.
Evernote offers shared notebooks and workspaces with granular permissions for teams up to 100+ users. Roam Research has limited team features (shared graphs in beta) and is primarily designed for individual knowledge management. For team collaboration, Evernote is more mature and established.